I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Skein Island by Aliya Whiteley 
Published by Titan Books on November 5, 2019
From the author of The Loosening Skin and The Beauty, Aliya Whiteley, Skein Island is a powerful and disturbing look at the roles we play, and how they form and divide us. This new edition features a brand new novelette set in the same world as Skein Island.
Skein Island, a private refuge twelve miles off the coast of Devon, lies in turbulent waters. Few receive the invitation to stay for one week, free of charge. If you are chosen, you must pay for your stay with a story from your past; a Declaration for the Island's vast library.
What happens to your Declaration after you leave the island is none of your concern.
From the monsters of Ancient Greece to the atrocities of World War II, from heroes to villains with their seers and sidekicks by their sides, Skein Island looks through the roles we play, and how they form and divide us. Powerful and disturbing, it is a story over which the characters will fight for control.Until they realise the true enemy is the story itself.
Anytime I’m reading an Aliya Whiteley book, I know to always expect the unexpected. One of the main reasons I like reading her books is it takes me out of my reading comfort zone.
Skein Island has been a private refuge for women since 1945, and you are only allowed there by invitation. Marianne Spence receives her invite after her marriage comes to an end. Skein Island dives in the mythology genre, but it also deals with differences between sexes, control issues, and secrets.
Author Whiteley did a great job creating characters that kept your interest to the end. Skein Island is one of those books where you don’t want to say a lot because you want readers to peel back the layers of the story.
I would recommend this book, especially to readers that love to read out of their comfort zone.
